The Washington Mystics start the season 1-0 after a clutch win against the Atlanta Dream, 90-94.
The defense was the calling card for the opener, as the Mystics held the Dream to 40.8% from the field and 33.3% from behind the arc. Brittney Sykes led Washington with 22 points and five assists.
Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were in the starting lineup for their first game and played exceptionally.
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Sonia Citron
Citron was stellar in her first game as a pro.
She guarded Rhyne Howard for most of the game, containing her to just 11 points on 4-14 shooting (3-12 from three). Howard was visibly frustrated. One play in particular, she was called for an offensive foul on a drive to the basket for throwing an elbow at Citron.
She talked about wanting the challenge of guarding Howard postgame. “It’s a challenge that I like,” Citron said in the post-game press conference.
In addition to the great defense, Citron scored 19 points on 6-7 shooting (2-2 from three). She sank the game-sealing throws off a Brittney Sykes steal to close it out. For a rookie to step up big to knock down free throws in that situation, especially in her first game, is super impressive.
Citron’s 19 points tied Nikki McCray (1998) for the second-most in a rookie debut in franchise history.
She became the first rookie since Diamond Miller (2023) to record at least 17 points on .850+ shooting. Citron joined Alana Beard and Shakira Austin as the only Mystics rookies to accomplish this feat.
She also became the first rookie since Emily Engstler (2022) to total at least 17+ points on seven or fewer field goal attempts.
Kiki Iriafen
Iriafen took the challenge of guarding Brittney Griner, making her work for buckets. She shared that her preseason matchup against Griner made her more prepared for this game.
Along with playing great defense as well, she totaled 14 points, the sixth-highest scoring debut for a rookie in franchise history. Iriafen did not start any of the preseason games, so her start was a surprise.
Georgia Amoore will not see the court this season due to an ACL injury. Coach Sydney Johnson said they expect to get Amoore back next season. Lucy Olsen played eight minutes and connected on her only field goal of the game.
Citron and Iriafen looked very poised in their first game as professionals. The pressure of being a starter in their first game, being in a close one, and it being against premier stars, can be a lot, but they both handled it very well.
They will be asked for a lot this season from their team, but they seem ready for the challenge.
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